Always Is Forever
by wolfteam000
Summary: As the time stream unravels, it's a race against time to reverse the turning back of time as the two worlds collide. Jerza and Mystwalker
1. Ripples

**Ripples**

The dark clouds shifted closer to one another, covering the grey skies as the wind picked up, sweeping through the empty streets. The soft patter of rain created a lulling shush in the area and a cloaked figure darted around the corner into a nearby inn, ignoring the murky water that splashed up messily as a result of her quick pace. A chilly mist settled down upon the land quickly, almost foreboding in nature, and she sneaked a cautious glance around behind her, eyes scanning the grounds in an almost paranoid fashion. Sensing nobody nearby, the shady figure pushed open the door to the inn and slipped in silently.

The inn was a modest little place, with only a few paintings adorning the shabby walls and wooden floor panels lining the corridors. The female brushed past the receptionist, who spared her a short glance before sliding a key across the polished counter surface. She nodded and dropped a few coins in front of him. A slender hand reached out from within the folds of her cloak to grasp the key and the woman proceeded up the stairs.

She entered the room and shut the door behind her quietly. The overhead light sparked into light at the flick of the switch but soon, its illumination fizzed into a series of flashes, throwing eerie shadows dancing around the dimly lit room. The woman brought up her hand and clenched it into a fist tightly, her small frame shaking visibly.

With the sudden disappearance of magic in Edolas, she had hoped to overthrow the old fool, Faust, and his heir and become ruler. But unfortunately, Mystogan had managed to discover the X-balls, thus allowing the continuance of magic to exist in the kingdom and gaining a strong support amongst his people.

A small sneer tugged at the corner of her lips. But it didn't matter. It _wouldn't_ matter once she used her magic. Because she was a time mage, and she could manipulate time in any way she liked. A pale hand swept back her hood, revealing long raven hair and ghostly features. A year on the run had drained Ultear of much of her youthfulness but the flames of hatred burning in her soul couldn't have been stronger.

A hysterical laugh erupted from her ruby red lips and Ultear stretched out her hand. A soft orange glow surrounded her fists before slowly spreading. Soon, her whole body was enveloped by it.

This kingdom was hers. This _world _was hers. And now, it was time to unravel the time stream.

* * *

><p>She slammed a hand on the table with more force than she had intended but she'd be damned if she back down now. She was Erza Knightwalker, Royal Army Captain of the 2nd Magic War Division, Champion of Edolas! She was the fricking Fairy Hunter for goodness sake!<p>

"And what is wrong with moving squad two to the border?" Erza snarled.

Mystogan glared back at her, refusing to change his stance either. "Stationing troops on the border is a hostile act! They'll use it as an excuse to invade us!"

The female leaned forwards threateningly. "They're going to invade us anyway! Better to prepare a defence before they can catch us by surprise!"

It was annoying how Mystogan never seemed to agree with her. She didn't doubt his good intentions for Edolas, but she was growing very tired of his pacifistic views

"And potentially start a war with a neighbouring country?" Mystogan leaned forwards dangerously as well, "are you mad?"

Their faces were so close that they were almost touching and he could feel the aggressive tension radiating from her. They remained in this position for a while, their hot breaths mingling with each other before Mystogan gave up, sitting back in his chair.

"I'm just trying to protect our country!" She spat out bitterly.

Mystogan growled under his breath. This was soon becoming a daily routine. He would propose to do something and Erza would crush the idea. Then she would suggest something else and he would refuse to approve it due to some flaw. It was no doubt tiring and obviously not particularly efficient and not much was achieved throughout his ever so short reign. However, he recognized the value of this bantering as it enabled him to ultimately make the best decision and for that, the king was willing to undergo this grueling process every day even though half the time, he just wanted to strangle that infuriating woman.

"And you don't think I'm trying to do what's best for my country either?" He challenged her, eyes narrowing.

Erza placed a hand on her hip haughtily and turned to leave, waving dismissively. "No, I just think you're plain stupid."

"Knightwalker," Mystogan growled but the door had already closed and he was left staring at the piece of wood. He ruffled his hair and slumped back in his chair. Damn, he hated talking to that woman sometimes.

* * *

><p>Erza embraced Mest tightly, or as he was now known as Doranbolt.<p>

"Thank you," she whispered tearfully in his ear, voice thick with emotion. After waiting for so many years, losing and reuniting with Jellal only for him to be taken away, Jellal was now finally able to regain his freedom. She had been so afraid that he would be sentenced to execution all this time that this moment was so overwhelming.

Mest patted her on the back gently and she released him from her embrace slowly before wiping the silent tears from her face. Ever since Grimoire Heart's defeat and failure to revive Zeref, the members had gone underground, plotting their revenge. During that time, Mest had witnessed Fairy Tail's help first hand and also grown to understand them. A week later, the new Council had announced that Jellal would be spared and released on the condition that he have his memory wiped clean with Mest's magic. It had broken her heart that Jellal wouldn't remember anything but though reluctant at first, Erza had come to accept the decision and was now waiting for Jellal outside the prison's gates. Though Mest had never admitted outright that he had put in a good word for both Fairy Tail and Jellal, Erza knew better. Glancing at the councilman's retreating back, she bowed respectfully.

The clang of the metal gates shutting jolted her from her heavy thoughts. She straightened up and found herself face to face with Jellal.

He stared at her expectantly as she was the only one waiting there.

"Um hey there," the man scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Jellal…"

Jellal stared at her strangely, a flicker of unrecognizable emotion flashing across his features for a second, but held out his hand for a handshake. "You're Erza, right?"

Erza did not respond and his outstretched hand closed into a fist. He shifted the bag over his shoulder nervously but then a radiant smile graced her face and Erza stepped forwards and hugged him. Jellal stumbled backwards slightly under her sudden weight. He could smell her scent. It was…fresh, clean, almost pure. He held her against his chest more tightly, savouring the first human contact he had had in years. He couldn't remember anything except for his name but there was a warm familiarity with this female that he couldn't quite place. Still, it soothed him to know that someone in this world cared about him.

The redhead looked up and Jellal was surprised to see silent tears glistening in her onyx eyes. Gentle hands reached up to brush away the tears on her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" Jellal asked, feeling pained. He had a certain feeling that the he was somehow the cause and a pang of guilt tugged at his heart strings. What had he done? What could cause such a beautiful creature so much pain?

Erza smiled through tearful eyes and he felt his heart flutter. "Don't worry, I'm just really happy, that's all."

Ignoring the stunned look on his face, she threaded her fingers between his and dragged him off. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"Let's just get away from everything, just for a little while."

They had, after all, all the time in the world.

* * *

><p>Ultear sat unmoving in a bar in the small town of Lavin, hands clasped around her glass of vodka. Her plans of reviving Zeref had failed and she had learned of the truth behind her mother's actions.<p>

_Gray Fullbuster_…

She downed the shot greedily. Relishing the burning feeling in her throat, she threw down a few coins in payment and exited the bar. She had nothing left in this world. Zeref was no more, Gray Fullbuster was no longer her enemy, she was a wanted criminal who couldn't join a guild for jobs. She didn't really have any more purpose in life. The female trudged through the streets slowly. Still, deep down she knew it wasn't true. Resentment and hatred still remained in her heart and she wanted nothing more than revenge on those scientists who had robbed her of her childhood, of her mother, of her happiness.

A faint breeze brushed past her and she stiffened slightly. Years of experience had taught her to notice the slightest change in her surroundings and now, she could feel a fair amount of magic buzzing in the air. Ultear stopped. Although magic was abundant in Earthland, there were no guilds in this town. She stiffened visibly at the thought. Had the council finally caught up with her?

_You want revenge, don't you?_

Her eyes widened at the voice. Whipping around, she saw no one in the vicinity.

_I can help you with that in exchange for a little help from you_.

She recognized this voice. It was…her voice…in her head. A second later, she threw back her head and laughed hysterically. The defeat must have come as a bigger blow than she had anticipated. She was now _imagining things in her head_. This was just brilliant.

_You're not imagining things, Ultear. I am simply speaking to you from a parallel world._

Well that certainly sounded stupid. Ultear shook her head. She was going insane, how pathetic.

Suddenly, a burst of light materialized in front of her and Ultear tumbled to the ground in a panic. Eyes widening, she watched in horror as a person identical to her stepped through the light. As the light dissipated, she could see that the other her was slightly transparent and had shorter hair than she did.

The ghostly image smiled deviously. "Hello Ultear."

Ultear merely gaped at her and her counterpart shook her head in disbelief. Was this weakling really her parallel counterpart?

"I am Ultear," she rolled her eyes at this part, "but I'm sure you know that. What you probably don't know is that I come from Edolas, the place where Mystogan, the counterpart of Jellal, comes from." She flicked her hair casually and continued but stopped as Ultear trudged past her, muttering under her breath.

"I'm going crazy, I'm going crazy, I'm going crazy." Ultear repeated this mantra over and over again, wringing her hands in despair.

Edo-Ultear tried again. "I'm speaking to you at the moment through my magic. I want to rewind time and change the future and I have so far succeeded in unraveling the time stream. However, I'll need your powers as well. Mine alone isn't strong enough to do so."

Ultear stared back at the towering figure, brain working madly. Deciding to play along with this hallucination, she straightened up more confidently after a moment of brief silence. "And why is that so?"

"Going back in time is not only limited to my world. It involves all parallel universes and alternate dimensions. All worlds will go back in time and for mine to do so, yours will be no exception. That is why," Edo-Ultear paused for dramatic effect, "you have to act as an anchor for Earthland. Of course, there's also the fact that my magic only works on living things whereas yours only works on non-living things. So I would need both our magic to actually make this work."

Ultear's eyes glimmered as her mind raced and she shot a quick glance at her counterpart. She could tell that the unraveling of the time stream would merge the two worlds together, her counterpart's presence was good evidence of that. This was a perfect opportunity to change things. In fact, she could maybe even gain something more out of this whole ordeal. She had nothing to lose.

"Don't you want to turn back time? To change some things in the past and create a new future? Think of the endless possibilities," Edo Ultear chided gently and extended her hand. "What do you say? Will you join me?"

* * *

><p><strong>1 year later...<strong>

Mystogan looked up from his paperwork at the sound of a sudden gust outside. Swiveling around in his chair, he gazed out of the large French window behind him. It seemed as if a storm was picking up as an onslaught of rain crashed down against the glass panel. He pushed himself off his chair and made his way to the window. With his cloak trailing behind him, he perched himself on the window sill, one leg drawn up, and looked up at the grey skies.

He loved thunderstorms. The raging winds always soothed him and the irregular beating of the rain on the glass managed to produce a calming effect on him. The dim skies contrasted greatly with his brilliantly lit room and he waved a hand, turning off all the lights. A great rumble sounded in the distance and the king smiled, leaning against the glass. The rain poured down with even more vigour now and Mystogan looked on in fascination. A brilliant flash filled the sky and with the pounding of the rain echoing in his ears, he placed a palm on the glass, watching as the warmth of his hand fogged up the glass outlining his hand. The water blurred the gloomy colours and Mystogan peered through the distorted shapes of the outside. He could faintly see a redhead with her squad training in the midst of the downpour.

Erza chose to look up at that moment and stared straight in his direction and Mystogan grinned. He was pretty sure she could see him there as she was now glaring straight at him. Soon, squad 2 gave up training, as they were completely drenched, and trudged out of the courtyard. Their captain swept from the area, no doubt heading to report to him about her troop's training, and Mystogan scanned the skies once more.

He could feel a large amount of magic in the air, more so than usual, and it bothered him to no end even if the storm did calm his nerves ever so slightly. The dark clouds were now so thick that it almost looked as if he could cut it with a knife. It almost seemed as if…

"It can't be," he gasped, eyes widening.

The clouds were swirling in a circular pattern, similar to a cyclone, and a large dark hole had opened up.

No. It couldn't be. It couldn't be the anima! He was, after all, the only one who still had the power to open or close the portal.

Mystogan bolted for the door, flinging them open. Sidestepping the figure in front of him, he ran for the stairs. He didn't notice Erza's wet attire or the fact that she was completely soaked. He didn't notice the way her clothes clung to her tightly, highlighting her curves. Nothing registered in Mystogan's mind apart from the fact that something similar to the anima was at work and all Erza could do was stare dumbly after him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: <strong>

**You know that I'm having problems writing/updating when the author's note is almost as long as the chapter XD anyway, this is kinda a collab between me and asianpearl, with me taking Edolas and her taking Earthland, but Ginny's busy atm (don't worry Ginny, I'll be suffering with you soon. I've seen my 2nd year curriculum and it's utter hell), so she'll jump back in when she's free! I think I still need to ask her about some details XD**

**Secondly, I know that this story seems similar to Saint's Mnemophobia but Ultear was the only logical way that could bring together Edolas and Earthland. But I promise you, it's different. It's different from Mnemophobia –stoned-**

**Yay for thunderstorms. I have a fetish for them XD **

**And thanks to excapizem ( youtube .com/excapizem) for bouncing ideas with me! Check out her amazing Jerza vids while you're at it! **

**ILYSC**


	2. Undulation

**Undulation**

The wind howled and whipped around him relentlessly as he stormed through the gates and towards the supernatural phenomenon. He didn't understand how this was happening. Even if someone had managed to get their hands on any X-balls to be able to use any magic, he was the only one who could open the anima. What was going on?

Jellal skidded to a halt as he approached the giant whirlwind. His hands moved rapidly as they cast familiar seals with practiced ease and he stabbed his staff into the ground. A low rumble sounded and the ground cracked slightly as an overwhelming amount of magic surged through him and was channeled into the ground.

"Release," the blue haired mage whispered. A silent shockwave erupted around him, the energy sending ripples through the air, and Jellal let out a sigh of relief, expecting the whirlwind to dissipate soon. His eyes widened as nothing seemed to happen and he repeated his actions once more with renewed urgency. Still, the clouds gathered together as the skies grew darker and darker.

Wrenching the staff out of the ground, Jellal sprinted closer towards the whirlwind. Why wasn't his magic working? His eyebrows furrowed as he came to the only conclusion and his pace quickened. His harsh breathing was pounding in his ears but he pressed on, nearly tripping over a rock and breaking his nose. He was almost there. Just as he was about to reach the eye of the storm, the world around him blurred into a brilliant array of colours. The mage stumbled slightly as he slowed to a stop. What had just happened?

The king spun around and recognition slowly dawned on him. It couldn't be...

Familiar wooden chairs and tables surrounded him and people bustled around him. The sound of raucous laughter and chattering filled his head and he turned around, disbelief sending shivers down his spine.

He was in the Fairy Tail guild hall.

Someone shouted out his name and Jellal looked up in reflex. A hand shot up to his face as he remembered that he was no longer wearing his mask or bandana. Mirajane smiled at him kindly and gestured for him to come over to the bar. Someone slapped him on the back as he passed by and he grinned weakly even though sirens were screaming in his head. How did this happen?

"Anything to drink, Jellal?" Mira asked. Seeing him shake his head, she took up a cloth and started polishing the glasses. "Why are you back so early? I thought you were on a week long mission with Erza and the others."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. It seemed as if his Earthland counterpart had joined Fairy Tail. This was good. At least no one would recognize him yet.

Jellal looked away uneasily. "Yeah, I…left something behind so I came back to get it."

"Well you should have come back with Erza, Jellal!" Gildarts boomed from his left, taking another swig from his mug. "A little more quality time couldn't hurt now, can it? You could learn one or two things from this old man!"

Jellal nodded in mock understanding. "Yeah, I guess..."

Cana rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to him Jellal, take all the time you need." She smiled warmly, "Just don't take too long like Alzack and Bisca, ok?"

Gildarts opened his mouth to pass on yet more words of wisdom but Jellal had already slipped away. As fascinating as Gildarts' love life was, he didn't have the time to stick around to pick up tips on how to please women. Not that he needed it anyway. He was the King of Edolas. Women just about threw themselves at his feet. His face grew red as he pushed these thoughts out of his mind. Now was not the time to be gloating about his manly exploits. But still, he had to admit that he was really popular with the ladies.

Jellal sighed. He didn't really understand what had happened. All he knew was that he had _stepped into_ Earthland. Turning back towards the doors to the hall, he maneuvered his way through the crowd of people back to where he had first entered Earthland. If he had come in from there, then he could escape from that 'portal' too.

Jellal took a step forwards to the spot where 'it' was supposed to be but found himself still in the hall. He swallowed and wet his lips nervously. Maybe he had missed the spot. Retracing his steps, he tried once more. And again. And again. Still, he found himself still in the hall. The only thing that was different was the fact that a lot of people were staring at him.

Why wasn't it working? What was going on?

Plastering a weak smile on his face, Jellal made his way out of the guild hall. He needed to get back to Edolas. Slamming the door shut, he stumbled down the stairs hurriedly as his grip tightened on his staff. He would have to activate the anima to return to Edolas.

As his boot touched the lowest step of the stairs, Jellal found himself outside the gates of his palace.

"What is this?" He exclaimed. Somehow, he had crossed dimensions just by passing through another invisible barrier of some sort. He could see Erza hurrying towards him from the palace. With a growl, he wrenched open the gates and stormed towards her direction.

"Anima," the female captain gasped but he shook his head, signaling for her to follow him.

"No," Jellal replied darkly. "It's not the anima." He glanced at her and shook his head once more. "I don't know what it is."

He broke into a run. It was true that he didn't know exactly what this was, but that was only half true. From what he had experienced, there was some sort of intangible barrier, almost like a rip in the seams of the dimensions, that connected the two parallel worlds and he could move between the two worlds freely just by passing through it. The barriers also seemed to open and close randomly and there seemed to be quite a lot of these portals lying around.

What was worrying was the fact that he didn't know how to solve this problem. What was more worrying was that _anyone _from _either _world could move between the dimensions.

"Erza."

The tone of his voice startled the captain and she focused all of her attention on the male. "What?"

His eyes sparkled sadly as he turned to her. "Stay close to me."

* * *

><p>Jellal huddled closer to the fire, watching the dying embers flicker and sparkle. His eyes stared into the flames, unmoving.<p>

Lucy plopped down onto the grass next to him and she nudged him playfully. "It's my shift now, go get some rest. This mission is far from over."

Jellal smiled at her. "It's fine. I can't sleep."

The female looked at him strangely. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he murmured more to himself than to her.

Lucy shook her head and shuffled closer to him. "I've only known you for a few years Jellal, but that's enough for me to tell that you've got something on your mind."

Jellal grinned sadly. Lucy was one of the few good friends he had in Fairy Tail. She was always there to help him and defend him and he knew that he could always count on her when things were rough. It wouldn't hurt to talk about things with her, would it?

"I don't know if what I want to do is right," he started hesitantly. "I've done so many bad things in the past. I've hurt some many people. Can I really do this to her?"

"Jellal," Lucy grasped him by the shoulders and stared at him seriously. "You weren't yourself when you did all those things. You're a different person now. You're a _good _person. You don't have to care what everyone thinks. Because _you_ know you're a good guy. And most importantly, _she_ knows."

He let out a hollow laugh. The sadness stirred in his onyx eyes. "Lucy…"

Even though what she said was true, that he had only done all those things because he had been possessed, it didn't take away the pain or the weight. It didn't matter why he did them, it was enough knowing that he had done them.

"Let go," she whispered. "Let go of the past, you can't keep shouldering the heavy burden, Jellal..."

But he couldn't. He just couldn't. He wanted to punish himself, he _needed _to do so.

Memories still haunted him at night, reminding him of the sins he had committed. He was corrupted beyond salvation. Did he have the right to taint her innocent self as well?

Lucy coughed lightly and looked at him expectantly and he stood up slowly, the shadows enveloping him as he did so. "I…I was thinking of proposing to her after this mission."

The silence between them dragged on for a while before Lucy let out a squeal of excitement and launched herself at Jellal.

"Tell me, tell me! How are you going to it?" She clung onto him eagerly, fisting his robes forcefully.

Jellal's hands closed over hers and he pried them open gently. "I don't know," he admitted. He gave a loud sigh and brought out a small box from his pocket, handing it to her. Lucy took it in her hands gingerly and her eyes widened at the sight.

"It's beautiful," she breathed and Jellal rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, that cost me the earnings I got from the last three missions."

Lucy smiled softly. "Jellal…"

"Hmm?"

"I know you're serious about Erza, but I'd still like to hear it from you," Lucy said quietly.

Jellal exhaled deeply and he stared up at the sky for a moment before he said fondly. "I am serious. I know I've done so many bad things in the past but I'll make it up to her. I'll stay with her and keep her safe. I'll protect her from anything." His eyes sparkled warmly and the female couldn't help but grin at his enthusiasm. "I'd do anything to make her happy, even if it means…even if it means my life." Even though it sounded so cheesy, Lucy knew that he meant every word.

Slowly, she closed the box and pressed it in his outstretched palm. "You'd be perfect for her Jellal, I know it."

A warm feeling spread throughout his chest and Jellal's grip tightened over the box. "Thanks Lucy."

"Now go and rest, this is my shift." Lucy pushed him back towards his tent and Jellal relented, waving as he trudged back towards his tent as the female turned back towards the campfire.

He paused and looked back at his friend. He stood there for a second and tried to call out to her but his eyes blurred and he found himself surrounded by some sort of fog in an instant.

There were no more birds chirping. The quiet calm of the forest had turned into something a lot louder. The air was much warmer now and he could hear the sound of running water in front of him. Jellal looked around, he didn't remember there being any rivers near their base camp.

He squinted, trying his best to see through the impenetrable fog. "Lucy," he called out uncertainly. Was she giggling?

More splashes sounded and he ventured forwards hesitantly. "Lucy?"

The ground below him suddenly gave way and he pitched forwards with a yell.

Jellal plunged into the hot pool of water and he broke through the surface quickly, gasping for air. Blinking the water out of his eyes, he looked up as a series of high pitched screams assaulted his ears.

"Wha…"

He clambered out of the pool as his mind registered that he was surround by half naked girls.

He was in a girls' bath.

Dodging the numerous missiles aimed at him, including the changing room lockers, Jellal bolted out of the facility. Tripping over his feet as he raced around a corner, the mage stopped to catch his breath. He didn't know where he was. One minute, he was with Lucy and the others and the next, he was swimming with semi naked babes.

Jellal stumbled out into the main street. Fumbling with his wet clothes clumsily, his fingers wrapped around the small box tightly and he let out a sigh of relief. It was safe. He looked around.

The street was quite deserted with just a few people wandering around slowly. He shuffled forwards uncertainly as he saw a girl pass by.

"Hey," he said evenly, "excuse me, sorry." He ran a hand through his wet hair in a feeble attempt to look cool.

The female flashed the handsome but thoroughly drenched man a wide grin. "Hi there."

Jellal flushed and shifted his feet nervously. "Hey, um this is gonna sound kinda weird but where am I?"

She giggled at his question. "You're in Rakion. It's this small town on the outskirts of the capital."

He shivered at the thought. The others were still at the base camp, which was in the middle of the Fiore forest just outside the capital, so he wasn't too far from where they were. He would just have to make his way back there.

"So, which way is it to the Fiore forest?" He asked.

The girl looked puzzled. "Fiore forest? I have no idea but there's a forest to the east." She sidled closer to the male and said sweetly. "But how about I get you out of those wet clothes first? You can't be comfortable in them." She eyed him suggestively and reached for him.

Jellal laughed nervously and stepped backwards just out of her reach. "No, sorry. I'm in a hurry. Thanks for everything."

She opened her mouth to protest but he had already strode past her. He wasn't in the mood for small talk. He needed to get back to where the others were. Where _she_ was. He had made a promise and he wasn't going to break it anytime soon.

As he set off towards the east, he couldn't help but notice how loose his pants were becoming. He must be losing weight.

* * *

><p><strong>Just a note, I changed something in chapter 1 so yeah there we go<strong>

**Well, there we go. If anyone still doesn't understand the whole portal thing, here it is.**

**There are a lot of these rips in the dimensions, so let's call them portals. They open and close randomly but they move around at the same time. So you could find yourself standing still and still the portal would pass through you and teleport you to the other world.**

**And it's been one year but Lucy has technically gotten to know Jellal for a few years. She knew of him in the TOP arc, then got to know him in the OS arc and all that.**

**And yes, the last line is a hint at the second idea of the story, the first one being the portal thing. But hey, both ideas are time related if that helps. **

**Silence is not golden on guys, do I get any presents after you've finished reading? **


	3. Unexpected

**Note:** Written by Hikari no Sadame (I was supposed to take Mystwalker's part but things have happened and I won't be continuing, but I felt I owed it to Hikari to put her part up).

**Unexpected**

Jellal headed toward the large castle hastily, assuming it would get him to the capital. While rushing to get some answers (i.e. where the hell am I?), he reached for his pockets, felt nothing but air, and immediately stopped.

He continued to fumble around and just about patted every orifice in his clothing.

Nothing…

"No. No no no no no, you can't be serious."

He frantically searched the area for the box, sighing and mentally berating himself.

Heart racing rapidly, breathing labored and fists clenched, Jellal banged his head against a nearby tree.

"God, Jellal, how stupid can you get?! Get your shit together, man."

What grown man loses his engagement ring? The last time he lost something so important was probably his memories, and that was years ago. He thought he had matured since then, but the lack of responsibility made him feel like reckless adolescent.

All of a sudden, the ground beneath him began to dissipate and he fell, face first into the hardwood second floor of Fairy Tail.

"What the-," before he could understand what had just happened, a worried blonde looked back at him with a scowl on her face.

"Jellal! I was looking all over for you. Where the hell did you go? I almost thought you decided to run away."

"Sorry- I…I got caught up in some stuff. Nothing exciting. I really do apologize for leaving you behind, Lucy."

She sighed as her frown turned into a smile, "it's okay. I was worried about you. Just don't do it again, alright?"

"Yeah, of course. Sorry…again," he let out a nervous chuckle, running a hand through his hair.

"Anyway, I'm just glad you didn't chicken out. Erza, over here! Jellal has a big surprise~," she giggled and winked at Jellal before starting to walk in the opposite direction.

"LUCY-no, I don't actually have a surprise, well, not on me right now-please, no, Lucy, DON'T LEAVE!"

She smirked, too far to hear his pleas. "I'll call the rest of them over after you two get your nice moment together."

As Lucy skipped down the stairs, Erza chuckled, closing the distance between them while Jellal prayed to God, Buddha, Allah, and just about any being greater than life that came to mind at such desperate times to help him make the incoming conversation just a little less awkward.

"Hey…Erza," he smiled childishly and ran his hand through his azure bangs again. "I..uh, I have no idea what she's talking about."

The redhead looked at him skeptically, "She said you had a surprise for me? I assumed a pretty big one considering how hyper Lucy was about it. What's up? You know you can tell me anything."

"Yeah, uh…I just wanted to tell you…that… I…um, love you. S-Surprisee?" He grinned coyly as he kissed her cheek lightly.

"Yeah, I know. And the sky is blue. And I love you too. And Gray's shirtless. Thanks for that wonderful insight!"

She held his hands softly for a few moments before gently letting go and returning downstairs.

"Lucy, I think we need to redefine your meaning of 'big surprise'. He's not pregnant. False alarm, guys!"

Lucy turned around in disbelief, "Whaddya mean it wasn't a big surprise? He only pro-," right before she said it, the blond saw the frantic 'SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, ABORT MISSION, ABORT, DO YOU COPY' signals from Jellal.

"Sorry, what? I didn't catch that, Lucy," Erza shouted over the stairs.

"Oh…uh… I mean, he only pr..acticed on you. It was practice. Yeah. Jellal didn't tell you? He's planning on making this extravagant speech about how fond he's grown of Fairy Tail. How we're practically family and how much he values- and loves- us. That happened."

Jellal looked at Lucy disapprovingly, "Wait, what?"

Erza raised a brow, and turned toward Jellal. "…Really? Jellal, that's sweet."

He scratched his head and flashed a charming smile, "I am. That's exactly what happened."

Lucy laughed nervously as she ascended the flight of stairs. Whether it was the incessant lying or the lack of workouts lately, she was pretty winded by the time she got to the top.

"Dude, what the hell? I thought we went over this? You deserve her, Jellal. What happened to all that protection crap and what not?"

"Crap? It's not crap!"

"You know what I mean. Why are you getting cold feet now?"

"I'm not getting cold feet," he protested and mumbled under his breath "if anything, I can't even feel my feet, recently…"

"Wait, what?"

"Nothing. Lucy, I'm going to propose to her, okay? I already know what I need to do. I just need a ring."

"Wait…what? You have a ring."

"Had. I lost it! I just… I don't know. It's gone though. And I have a feeling we won't be finding it anytime soon."

"You said it took 3 missions' worth of jewels. Jellal, where are you gonna find that kind of money?"

"No clue…"

After stopping for some evening strawberry shortcake, Erza walked back to Fairy Hills. The wind blew gently, caressing her hair as she thought about what had happened earlier. She felt like something was a bit off about Jellal today. It seemed like he was hiding something.

A sharp flash of fear struck her, thinking about how much pain he brought every time Jellal left her.

Following her departure from The Tower, Erza had spent days cursing her own helplessness- her own cowardice. How could she have left him in that state? Regardless of how corrupt he had become, she should have stayed behind; he needed her more than ever then, and she failed to provide the support he so desperately required. Maybe if she had been there, just maybe, he wouldn't have had to suffer as much as he did.

_She could have saved him._

It was all her fault, and upon his reappearance in her life, she felt it was her responsibility to fix everything. She could have rescued him, and he had turned into a monster because of her passivity.

Jellal may blame himself for killing Simon and hurting his friends, but Erza blamed herself for not stopping it all when she had the chance.

_And because of that, she had lost him again_- lost him to Zeref, to his sins, blasted away to some unknown abyss at the bottom of the ocean.

Seeing him again during the fight against Oracion Seis made her realize just how much he meant to her. Simply standing there before her, Jellal had made her heart beat that much quicker and filled her chest with a warm, heavy rush of relief. She understood that all she needed was for him to be by her side. _Always._

It crushed her, finding out that he had lost all his memories. But at least he had returned to the kind, caring boy she once knew. She thought that even if Jellal didn't remember anything about his past, all that mattered was that he was here; the Jellal that she fell for years ago was here. She thought that this could be their reset button- their new beginning. And she hated herself for thinking so naïvely.

He was, for all intents and purposes, a criminal.

_And just like that, she had lost him again_.

But this time, it hurt even more. This time, she had given herself hope. And as she watched him, handcuffed and attempting to act bravely for her sake, all that hope had crumbled into pieces, leaving nothing but sorrow and rage in its place.

She was furious at herself for letting him go. She was furious at the Rune Knights for taking him away, and she was furious at Jellal for that stupid, dumb, irritating smile that never left his face.

This time, she thought, he was gone_. Forever._

When they were reunited again, she told herself not to make the same mistake. Jellal Fernandes had a habit of suddenly disappearing, whimsically falling in and out of her life. And she wasn't about to let down her walls to be left completely devastated once more.

After months of tentative flirting and reminiscing, Erza had inadvertently let him in because this time, this time she was sure he wouldn't leave her behind.

_This time, she convinced herself, he would stay by her side, always and forever._

As she made her way to her apartment, Erza tried to suppress her growing fears. She couldn't even imagine how broken she'd become if he vanished.

But if there were one single thing different about this time, it was that she trusted him.

She trusted that he would tell her what was troubling him when he felt ready. Erza had faith, and it alone cleared her mind of all irrelevant thoughts. She believed in Jellal, and she believed in herself for finally making the right choice.

Putting her key in the lock, Erza felt the ground underneath her begin to shift. Suddenly, she felt her whole body fall through the floor as she landed abruptly, butt-first, on hard soil.


End file.
